Getting to Know You: Vacation!

Hey, everyone, with it being Memorial Weekend and the start of summer tourist season in much of North America, let's talk about vacations!












What is your fondest vacation memory? Where would you go if time and money were no object? Do you prefer road trips, cruises, or to just hop on a plane and go?

Tell us all about how you like to get away from it all!

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE is scrawled in blood red lettering on the side of the Chemical Bank near the corner of Eleventh and First...

What's Happening Now?

Well, folks, it's that time again – time for our midweek update. Now, normally, this would be the characters' chance to reveal their current whereabouts, but given the suggestion last week that “we need an author's day without their input,” I figured it was the authors' turn to share what's happening in their lives – and in their stories.

So, let's hear it, authors. What have you been up to lately? Seen any interesting places? Encountered any memorable creatures? Found yourself, uh, in a spot of trouble, supernatural or otherwise?

Feel free to spill any and all of your latest adventures – including, of course, what you've been working on this week.

Remember, this is for authors only!

Getting to Know You: Desert Island

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?












Unbelievable that we've never asked this question before, isn't it? So have at it, authors and characters!

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from Carrie by Stephen King.)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true...

What's Happening Now?

Well, folks, it's that time again – time for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. What have you been up to lately? Seen any interesting places? Encountered any intriguing people? Fought any maleficent creatures? Found yourself in a spot of trouble, supernatural or otherwise?

Feel free to spill any and all of your latest adventures, and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!

Getting to Know You: Favorite Memory

Hey, everyone, let's get nostalgic!











What is your most cherished memory? Is it something you did or something someone did for you? Do you like to reminisce about a special day or a particularly special someone?

Tell us all about it, and then tell us what makes this particular remembrance from your past so special.

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts.)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

Nobody was really surprised when it happened, not really, not at the subconscious level where savage things grow. On the surface, all the girls in the shower room were shocked, thrilled, ashamed, or simply glad that the White bitch had taken it in the mouth again. Some of them might also have claimed surprise, but of course their claim was untrue...

What's Happening Now?

Well, folks, it's that time again – time for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. What have you been up to lately? Seen any interesting sights? Slayed any wicked demons? Met any interesting creatures? Found yourself in a spot of trouble, supernatural or otherwise?

Feel free to spill any and all of your latest adventures, and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!

Getting to Know You: Most Precious Thing

We all have something we value above all other things, be it a physical treasure, a dream, or a principle.














So tell us about it! What's your most precious thing, and how did it come to have such meaning for you?

Is there anything that could make you give it up?

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from Watership Down by Richard Adams.)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

Novalee Nation, seventeen, seven months pregnant, thirty-seven pounds overweight – and superstitious about sevens – shifted uncomfortably in the seat of the old Plymouth and ran her hands down the curve of her belly. For most people, sevens were lucky...

What's Happening Now?

Well, it's that time again – time for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. It's time to share your pleasures, your pitfalls, your ambitions, or whatever else is on your mind – and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!

Emote This: Disappointment

We all face disappointments in life. Sometimes love, work, friendships or family matters go awry and we're left with feelings of sadness and frustration.










How does disappointment make you feel? Does it make you want to flee to a dark room and hide, or does it inspire you to charge back into the fray and make things come out right? Do you have a strategy for dealing with disappointment?

Discuss!